Just as dogs can sniff out cancerous growths on humans, a new nanotechnology-based sensor can detect the smell of melanoma from human skin cells.
The nanotube sensor, developed by researchers from Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania, can reliably distinguish unique chemical aromas associated with melanomas from scents released by healthy skin cells, though it has only been tested on cells in lab cultures thus far.
Melanomas are tumors that develop from mutations in melanocytes, skin cells that produce the pigment melanin, and often appear as blackish-brown or colored moles.
The disease is the deadliest form of skin cancer. While melanoma is often fatal when it spreads to other parts of the body, it is highly treatable if growths are identified early enough.
Read more at http://www.medicaldaily.com/articles/16520/20130613/melanoma-test-senses-scent-cancerous-human-skin.htm#ZzJdEDq4gR7aHmfW.99
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